The St. Louis Board of Aldermen is debating a plan that would require police officers to hand out business cards to people they interact with -- giving their name, badge number and how to file a complaint about the interaction with the Civilian Oversight Board.
listen to kmox
Sponsoring Alderman Rasheen Aldridge says police would also have to get someone's permission to search them, "if the officer is having a conversation with somebody, and they happen to see they have a bag and they want to search it, they would have to give the individual their rights to say I would like to provide a consensual search to look in your bag." Aldridge says there would be exceptions for cases with probable cause.
Southside Alderman Tom Oldenburg says the last-minute bill, just before summer recess seems rushed. "I don't know if there's an internal issue that you're aware of. I'm trying to get at the reasoning and the cram down, what feels like, a very short time period for this piece of legislation."
The Police Chief says the bill seems "unnecessary ," saying "why would we look at a law, an ordinance, to legislate some things that are already in policy. I don't see a lot of illegal or unauthorized searches."
The police union says it may saddle officers with more paperwork and take them off the street.
@2023 Audacy (KMOX). All rights reserved.